Nice purple color, shiny, clear on the edges becoming darker towards the middle. Large bright cherry berry fruit in the nose. Also a little bit of plum and a meaty smell. A little smoke as it opens. On the palate lots of spicy fruit and a ton of smoky oak. Great acidity makes it a very drinkable wine. Mild tannins and nice long finish. This one would be good for a party quaffer for sure.

A dark yet clear purple color gives this wine a rather dull look. In the nose there seems to be a lot of bright red fruit and almost a sort of flower note to it. A little burnt vanilla and fat behind that, but in a good way. Sweet aromas (brain has stopped) Little tannin on the palate but thankfully not as sweet as expected. Much lighter in body than most of the Australian shiraz’s that I’ve drunk. Awesome acidity, not as fruit forward as expected (also from the nose). A little lighter chocolate in the nose as well. This isn’t that bad! Great intensity on the finish as well as enough acidty.

This wine has a nice glimmering purple color, but is suspiciously clear for a CDR. Nose of plum and ambiguous dark fruits. A little dirty barnyard approaches with some air. Burnt, toasty aromas as well. Red Current pops up after awhile, and maybe a little cherry. Sweet and lighter bodied as expected, the fruit is almost juicy. No discernable fruits on palate. A moderate amount of tannin, this one would probably stand up nicely to some light foods, but is a-typical for me in terms of Syrah and my experience with CDR’s and southern France.

La Font du Vent Cotes du Rhone Les Pomesses 2003 13% vol.

This wine has a purple color. Cherry, Raspberry, wood chips and saw dust waft from the glass, earthy. Subtle nose. On the palate its much more supple, almost new world Joss comments. Tastes follow the nose, middle amount of tannin. Finish is non-remarkable.

This wine had a dark purple color. The nose gave musty berries and a little barnyard funk and some interesting spice complexity. On the palate the wine had a decent tannic grip. There wasn’t as much fruit on the palate as in the nose, but I was able to taste black licorice, which I hadn’t found in the nose. The wine ended with a nice long finish with enough acidity to support itself. I found this to be an excellent wine.

Cheatau L’Elglise 2000 Cuvee d’Excellence Bordeaux Superieur 12 %

Lighter red color, clear. Nose of plum and blackberry pie and also a little new oak. Also a little bit of flowers. Pretty watery in the mouth, tastes following the nose. Finish and wine non-remarkable.

Tohu Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2003 12.5 %

Very light yellow with green hues. Nose of grassy aromas, lots of citrus and some great gooseberry and buttery pee aromas. Olives were also mentioned. Slightly larger in body with good acidity. Silky almost buttery mouth feel. Almost too big for me. Tastes follow the nose, maybe a little blurred on the palate. Nice finish, short and sweet. Nice wine, a quaffer.